This invention relates generally to a cannula introducer, and one that may be adhered to an aperture provided within the wall of the heart, and more particularly its right atrium or auricle, as for use in preparation for open heart surgery.
During open heart surgery, or in preparation for the same, it is essential to introduce when is generally defined as a heart-lung machine into the operations of the heart in order that the blood supply of the patient being operated upon can continue to flow within the body even during performance of the operational procedure. Normally, a pair of cannulas are introduced into the structure of the heart, usually at the vicinity of its right atrium, with one cannula extending upwardly into the superior vena cava, while the second cannula extend downwardly into the inferior vena cave, and thereby continue to supply and pump blood throughout all parts of the body during performance of the surgical operation. The cannulas when emplaced through the heart wall in the aforesaid manner, and which is commonly performed in practice, is simply located through one but usually two apertures made through the lining of the heart, and then tied in place by means of a ligature in order for said cannulas to remain in place and continue to divert venous blood to the heart lung machine, during the cardiopulmonary bypass surgery. One problem is frequently encountered during usage of the foregoing process, which is common in practice, and that is that frequently leakage of blood will occur at the location where the pair of cannulas extend through the incision made into the right atrium. This is normally because the pair of cannulas that are maintained in adjacency undertake the configuration of a figure eight, in cross-section, making it difficult to tie the heart lining or wall into a close confining relationship entirely around the proximate cannula, meaning that some leakage does occur as a result of the imperfect contact maintained between the heart lining and the contiguous pair of cannula.
It is, therefore, the principal object of this invention to eliminate the second hole or incision that normally is placed into the wall of the atrium during open heart surgery and which is difficult to reach and repair at the conclusion of a cardiopulmonary bypass operation.
Another main reason for this invention is to eliminate one potential bleeding side in the wall of the atrium during and after open heart surgery generally through the procedure that necessitates only the forming of one incision therein to accommodate the mechanical mechanism utilized during open heart surgery.
A third principal reason for this invention is to give the surgeon the opportunity to use two cannulas through one incision during the surgical procedure requiring two sets of cannulas, such as intracardiae repair and valve replacement operations, and which advantage is attained through the usage of the introducer of this invention.
Another object of this invention is to provide a cannula introducer that has a confined inward end, or that end that extends into the heart cavity, and more specifically the right auricle, and which confined end has a pair of apertures located therein and properly oriented so that as the cannula are introduced into the interior of the atrium, they will be conveniently directed towards the location of the various vena cava in which each of the cannula is intended to locate during operation of the heart-lung machine.
Another object of this invention is to provide a beaded approximate mid-point for the cylindrical member forming the cannula introducer, so as to facilitate the tying of the lining of the heart by means of a ligature to the introducer in preparation for the insertion of the cannula therein during performance of the identified surgical operation.
Another object of this invention is the provision of guide means integrally of the introducer for directing the cannula properly into and through the invention during its usage.
These and other objects will become more apparent to those skilled in the art upon reviewing the summary of this invention, and upon undertaking a study of the description of the preferred embodiment in view of the drawings.